Transition to the Market

The transition to a market economy by the former socialist countries of Europe and Asia was certainly one of the most momentous events in the last to decades of the second millennium: its onset was unpredictable, and many of its outcomes contrasted sharply with initial expectations. To help understand the process, and to draw attention to the impact upon the poorest members of society, UNU-WIDER undertook research projects into institutional transition, the emergence of small and medium sized enterprises, regulation of the new market economy, the social dimensions of transition, and the mortality and demographic crisis in transition countries.